1._Am I not free? _He confirms by facts what he had stated immediately before, — that he would rather never taste of flesh during his whole life, than give occasion of stumbling to a brother, and, at the same time, he shows that he requires nothing more from them than what he had himself practiced.... [ Continue Reading ]
2._If I am not an Apostle to others _The sum of this tends to the establishing of his authority among the Corinthians, so as to place it beyond all dispute. “If there are those,” says he, “who have doubts as to my Apostleship, to you, at least, it ought to be beyond all doubt, for, as I planted your... [ Continue Reading ]
3._My defense. _Apart from the principal matter that he has at present in hand, it appears also to have been his intention to beat down, in passing, the calumnies of those who clamored against his call, as if he had been one of the ordinary class of ministers. “I am accustomed,” says he, “to put you... [ Continue Reading ]
4._Have we not power _? He concludes from what has been already said, that he had a right to receive food and clothing from them, (482) for Paul ate and drank, but not at the expense of the Church. This, then, was one liberty that he dispensed with. The other was, that he had not a wife — to be main... [ Continue Reading ]
5._Even as the other Apostles. _In addition to the Lord’s permission, he mentions the common practice of others. And with the view of bringing out more fully the waiving of his right, he proceeds step by step. In the first place, he brings forward the _Apostles _He then adds, “Nay, even _the brethre... [ Continue Reading ]
7._Who hath gone a warfare at his own charges? _It is the present tense that is used (483) as meaning — is _accustomed to go _a warfare. I have, however, with the view of taking off somewhat of the harshness, rendered it in the preterite. Now, by _three _comparisons, and these, too, taken from commo... [ Continue Reading ]
8._Say I these things as a man _? Lest any one should cavil, and say that in the things of the Lord the case is different, and therefore that he had to no purpose brought forward so many comparisons, he now adds, that the very same thing is commanded by the Lord. To speak _as a man _sometimes means... [ Continue Reading ]
10._Because he that ploweth ought to plow in hope. _There is a twofold reading in this passage, even in the Greek manuscripts, but the one that is more generally received is — _He that thrasheth_, _in hope of partaking of his hope _At the same time, the one that does not repeat the term _hope _twice... [ Continue Reading ]
11._If we have sown unto you spiritual things _There was one cavil remaining — for it might be objected, that labors connected with this life should without doubt have food and clothing as their reward; and that plowing and thrashing yield fruit, of which those that labor in these things are partake... [ Continue Reading ]
12._If others assume this power over you _Again he establishes his own right from the example of others. For why should he alone be denied what others assumed as their due? For as no one labored more than he among the Corinthians, no one was more deserving of a reward. He does not, however, make men... [ Continue Reading ]
13._Know ye not, _Apart from the question that he discusses, he appears to have dwelt the longer in taking notice of this point, with the view of reproaching the Corinthians indirectly for their malignity in allowing the ministers of Christ to be reviled in a matter that was so justifiable. For if P... [ Continue Reading ]
15._Nor have I written these things _As he might seem to be making it his aim, that in future a remuneration should be given him by the Corinthians, he removes that suspicion, and declares that, so far from this being his desire, _he would rather die _than give occasion for his being deprived of thi... [ Continue Reading ]
16._For if I preach the gospel. _To show how very important it was not to deprive himself of that ground of glorying, he intimates what would have happened, if he had simply discharged his ministry — that he would in this way have done nothing else than what the Lord had enjoined upon him by a stric... [ Continue Reading ]
17._For if I do this thing willingly _By _reward _here is meant what the Latins term _operae pretium _, recompense for labor, (495) and what he had previously termed _glorying _Others, however, interpret it otherwise — as meaning that a _reward _is set before all who discharge their duty faithfully... [ Continue Reading ]
18._What then is my reward? _He infers from what goes before, that he has a ground of glorying; in this, that he labored gratuitously in behalf of the Corinthians, because it appears from this, that he applied himself willingly to the office of teaching, inasmuch as he vigorously set himself to obvi... [ Continue Reading ]
19._Though I was free from all. _ Εκ πάντων, that is, _from all_, may be taken either in the neuter gender or in the masculine. If in the neuter, it will refer to _things_; if in the masculine, to _persons _I prefer the _second _He has as yet shown only by one particular instance how carefully he ha... [ Continue Reading ]
21._Though not without law to God. _He wished by this parenthesis to soften the harshness of the expression, for it might. have seemed harsh at first view to have it said, that he _had come to be without law. _Hence in order that this might not be taken in a wrong sense, he had added, by way of corr... [ Continue Reading ]
22._To the weak I became as weak _Now again he employs a general statement, in which he shows to what sort of persons he accomodated himself, and with what design. He judaized in the presence of the Jews, but not before them all, for there were many headstrong persons, who, under the influence of Ph... [ Continue Reading ]
23._That I may become a partaker of it. _As the Corinthians might think with themselves, that this was a peculiarity in Paul’s case on the ground of his office, he argues, from the very design of it, that this is common to all Christians. For when he declares, that his aim had been, that he _might b... [ Continue Reading ]
24._Know ye not, that they who run in a race. _He has laid down the doctrine, and now, with the view of impressing it upon the minds of the Corinthians, he adds an exhortation. He states briefly, that what they had hitherto attained was nothing, unless they steadfastly persevered, inasmuch as it is... [ Continue Reading ]
25._Now every one that striveth. _As he had exhorted to perseverance, it remained to state in what way they must persevere. This _second _thing he now sets before them by a comparison taken from pugilists; not indeed in every particular, (513) but in so far as was required by the subject in hand, wi... [ Continue Reading ]
26._I therefore so run _He returns to speak of himself, that his doctrine may have the more weight, on his setting himself forward by way of pattern. What. he says here some refer to _assurance of hope _— (Hebrews 6:11) — “I do not run in vain, nor do I run the risk of losing my labor, for I have th... [ Continue Reading ]
27._But I keep under my body _(516) Budaeus reads _Observo _; (_I keep a watch over_;) but in my opinion the Apostle has employed the word ὑπωπιάζειν (517) here, to mean _treating in a servile manner _(518) For he declares that he does not indulge self, but restrains his inclinations — which cannot... [ Continue Reading ]